HEALTHIER YOU: How diabetes and prediabetes could impact your pregnancy

BY DR. MARGUERITE BRATHWAITE OB-GYN

Spring is in the air — and for many, it might feel like time to have a baby. 

Just as you would try to get into shape to run a marathon, it is important to make sure you are healthy before getting pregnant. It is recommended that you have a simple blood test to determine whether your glucose (blood sugar) levels are high. 

Over time, persistently high glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart. It can also lead to infertility. Here’s what you need to know — and what you can do —if you are prediabetic or diabetic and hoping to grow your family. 

Diabetes is a very common medical condition today. According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 29 million people in the U.S. living with diabetes. Another 8.1 million Americans have diabetes, but do not know it. 

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease. If you have Type 2 diabetes, your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. 

At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time, it can’t keep up and can’t make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels. 

Prediabetes is a condition that affects another 79 million Americans. With prediabetes, your glucose levels are higher than they should be — but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Prediabetes is a wake-up call for diabetes. 

However, it’s not too late to take actions to lower your risk for diabetes. 

It is important to know that insulin is a hormone, and when a hormone is out of balance it can cause other hormones — such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone — to be out of balance, too. 

Diabetes alone does not prevent a woman from getting pregnant. In fact, if your diabetes is kept under control through proper diet, exercise and medication, it should not play a major role in your ability to conceive. 

However, if your blood glucose levels are not under control, it can have several negative effects on your fertility as well as your ability to sustain a pregnancy. High blood sugar, for example, is a reason why an embryo sometimes fails to implant in the uterus. According to the American Diabetes Association, high glucose levels may increase a woman’s chance of miscarriage by as much as 30 to 60 percent. 

All women should have regular healthcare checkups, and it is especially important during pregnancy. Make your appointment today by calling Innovative Women’s Care at (702) 413-7740 or visit us at 851 S. Rampart Blvd., Suite 165 in Las Vegas.